Dear Fisher,

I saw an article in the paper about you and decided to check you out. I am a 2 year old great Pyrenees named Greta. My human tells everyone that I am the most laid back and gentle dog you will ever find. I am the perfect dog to take to hospitals, nursing homes, cancer center, and many other places where I behave perfectly and everyone loves me.

I am a certified therapy dog and I get along with every living creature with one exception. For some reason, when I see another Pyrenees I get ready for battle. If I get within 2 feet of another like me, it is fight time.

My worst behavior came out at a rescue group picnic a few months ago and there were at least 50-60 Pyrenees there! Things got so bad my human had to take me back to her car and crate me. It was awful. She has tried dog trainers and everything. What in the world do you think is wrong with me?

Greta

Dear Greta,

You can imagine I hear all sorts of issues from all sorts of critters. Some are easier to advise than others. I think yours is a very unique case.

Characteristics of the Pyrenees breed range from “gentle giant” to very independent, and even stubborn. Training could be difficult because you do not like to be told what to do. You can make your own decisions, thank you very much. On top of that you are absolutely adorable.

Since your issue is much more complicated than most, I am giving you 2 sites to explore. Both have more good information than I can include in my column:

1. The Woof and Word Press tells about Louie, a 4 year old Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees cross. Louie, like you, has that one trigger that turns him into a raging bull. In his case, it is not another Pyrenees – he is not at all aggressive toward other dogs and people. His aggression trigger is diesel engine vehicles. Even though this might cause a chuckle at the very idea, the behavior called barrier frustration/aggression is serious and can escalate quickly. It does sound a little like your going off on the other Pyrenees, don’t you think? Enjoy the read and I hope you find some answers there.

2. Leash Aggression in Dogs is an article by Kathy Sdao, MA, CAAB, where she explains your leash is restricting you – very much like barrier restriction. First you are restricted, then frustrated, anxious, and finally aggressive. Ms. Sdao provides suggestions for training techniques as well. Again, due to the extensive information, I will leave it to your human to find the information that will serve you best.

We are all in this together – any readers out their with helpful ideas for Greta? Please feel free to let us know.

Your friend,

Fisher

Dear Fisher,

I’m a two-year-old mixture of Maltese and poodle, and live with 2 other little dogs much like me, and a cat. We are lucky because we’re very social and get to go out a lot with the humans. I’m very social and rarely bark when in the company of lots of people and other dogs. If they don’t take me with them, I cry when they leave, but that’s not the real problem.

I am sure you have heard of the “cat’s meow” – but have you ever heard of the “dog’s howl?” If my humans don’t take me with them, I howl and howl when they come home. It’s a real howl, very loud, and I can’t seem to stop. The humans can get very annoyed at this. Do you have a solution?

Poshy

Dear Poshy,

No, I have not heard of the “dog’s howl.” I did some checking, though, and it seems dogs who would not normally howl may tend to when they are left alone. Of course, this does not address why you howl when they come home. Consider yourself quite unique – if you have not already done so.

There are several reasons a dog howls. Some will howl when they hear sirens, or certain kinds of music. The tones trigger some unknown reflex and they feel compelled to do it. I have heard of dogs who will howl along when their humans sing, or perhaps play the oboe. This may be a wake-up call to the human to try a little harder to perform on key.

A dog left alone and feeling very lonely may howl. Or, the howling may come about due to some ancestral genes. Wild dogs such as coyotes and wolves traditionally howled to gather their clan. It was their only way to call a meeting when all were spread out far and wide.

In her article, “Howling – why do dogs do it?”, Glynne Anderson provides some explanation and then asks the thought provoking question, “…are our dogs serenading, crooning or lamenting?” I might add…cajoling?

But, you are not alone with 2 other dogs and a cat in the house, and surely they cannot be spread too far and wide. Poshy, consider why you are howling when your humans come home. Some possibilities include:

1. you are more than a little miffed that your humans went off without you
2. you want ALL the neighbors to know your humans stayed out very LATE
3. your timing is a little off – the clan is gathered but you want to take credit for it

Getting to the cause will go a long way in your deciding to stop your howling behavior. On the other hand, your humans may choose to return home at a decent hour?

Your friend,
Fisher

What a remarkable day this is. I am yawning and laughing at the same time. Looking back over the last two years – where we started and where we got to – can be pretty darn tiring and completely exhilarating all at once.
We have had fits and frustrations over the why’s and wherefore’s of keeping up a web site. We are still trying to get it all sorted out. But today. we forget about the tears and only remember the laughter. We are motivated and excited. Most of all, we are having fun. This adventure will not come to an end anytime soon!
Thank you to our readers and all the wonderful critters who write to Ask Fisher for advice. Thanks to my editor and his staff, my advice column continues to publish in the tbt* Tampa Bay Times. Without you all, we would surely lose momentum.
Just for kicks and with a slight bit of embarrassment, I thought it would be fun to re-post (without re-editing) my very first blog. The only difference is we added a photo to show how intimidated I really was. tee hee

Hello world!

Hello!
My name is Fisher.
This is my fist blog and I am very excited to talk with you. I decided to start this blog in order for us “pets” to discuss matters that are important to us in our world. To me, the idea of getting advice is to get another perspective on things that concern us.
What qualifies me to give advice, you might ask? I have been a cat for at least 6 lifetimes now, and have seen some pretty interesting stuff, met some interesting people, and been in some strange situations. For some reason, through all this, I have developed an ability to tune in to other beings. I suppose you could call me a kitty psychic, but you can just about imagine what the talk shows would do with that one! I don’t think your humans would be happy about that at all! Some of them don’t realize how much we think about things and have opinions about things, and oh yeah – have reasons for our actions.
We love our humans an awful awful lot and most of us are really really happy with them, but sometimes we just want to express ourselves without them suddenly up and changing our cat food because we are acting a little weird that day.
This blog is all about community – you might want to tell a funny story about your human, or your sibling, or the other pets in your household. You might want to whine a little. Admit it – we all do that at some time or other. You might want to ask your new community why your human insists on putting bows in hair, or whose idea was it to decide that you are Irish on St Paddy’s day anyway?? Why not go where you can really share with others of like mind. Your humans do it. You can too. Just ask.

Your friend,
Fisher

Dear Fisher,

I have a shameful secret. I am a huffer, slang term for a person (or cat) who inhales chemicals to get high. Every time my owners clean the bathroom, I sit in there for as long as it takes for the smell to dissipate. I don’t try to ingest the chemicals, I just get high off the smell. My owners don’t feel safe using all-natural cleaners to disinfect the bathroom, and the smell would take forever to go away if they closed the bathroom door. My owners are worried about me getting brain damage. Since the Betty Ford Clinic doesn’t take cats, what can we do?

Shadow

Dear Shadow,

You have done a beautiful thing by coming forward with your addiction. It is my guess that you are not the only huffer out there. By addressing the situation, you are also helping others. You must still have quite a few faculties left, though, to write such a letter.

Many humans believe the more odorous and chemically packed a cleaning product is, the more it will kill the germs. However, there is a growing movement toward Green Living, which calls for the use of more natural products to get rid of household germs. Case in point, my friends at
The Green Home and Garden Blog listed 101 Uses for Vinegar. They submit that “White distilled vinegar is a very versatile product that can be used to cook & clean your home.” Your people can help you by trying some of the following:

1.Kill germs all around the bathroom with a spray of full-strength white distilled vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
2.To clean the floor, mix a solution of 3 drops dish washing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray sparingly and mop for a fast clean-up.
3.Remove soap buildup from faucets by scrubbing with a solution of 1 part salt to 4 parts white distilled vinegar.
4.To kill germs, spray full-strength white distilled vinegar on doorknobs and then wipe them dry.
These are just a few suggestions for cleaning, germ-killing and deodorizing. For more technical information, your owners would do well to visit Care2 Green Living and search their information on vinegar. Very convincing stuff there.
I found nothing to indicate vinegar cleaning will kill brain cells. You may, however, find yourself with cravings for dill pickles and sauerkraut. But that is another subject for another time.

Your friend,
Fisher

Dear Fisher,

Everything around our house is crazy these days. The kids are all hyper and they put on awful faces and try to scare me. It works just fine, thank you very much. This is holiday season – that’s what they say. It’s just starting and I can’t wait until it’s over. Worst is they have pictures of black cats in the window and they all look scary as heck. It is an insult to me and gives black cats a bad name. Sometimes I just want to run away from home. Can you help?

Tommy

Dear Tommy,

If you mean will I help you run away from home, the answer is “No!” But, if you mean will I help you try to deal with your situation, I will be happy to. First order of business is to get the kids you live with under control. Even though you have a built in instinct to fight back, run away, or just freeze in place when you are afraid, these reactions are only encouraging them. Children can become overly exuberant when suddenly allowed to act like little monsters. You may remember doing much the same when you were a kitten.

You will do well to put forth your best effort to act aloof. After all, that is one of our best traits. Here is how that can work for you: The children put on scary masks and rush at you. You act aloof. After 3 or 4 efforts to scare you, they become bored. They then start to pick on each other, which annoys the parents and they end up in time out. At this point, skip the aloofness and do a little happy dance. All is under control.

As for the actual night of Halloween, your adult family members should help you by:

1. Setting up the master bedroom as your safe haven, with litter box, food and water dishes.
2. Select a pleasant program on TV so the endless doorbell ringing will not drive you nuts.
3. Close the door to the bedroom. Appoint only one person to open it to check on you.
4. Treats are OK, but no candy. Candy will cause new and often worse problems.

Everyone must be on guard for your safety and inability to escape.
Urban legend or not, cats should not go out on All Hallows Eve. Many animal rescue groups report an abrupt increase in the adoption of black cats at this time. For more information, look up Black Cats and Halloween.

You are right to say this is the first of the holiday season, and no doubt the worst of it will be over for you soon. Next is Thanksgiving. Please remember to think kindly upon all turkeys.

Your friend,
Fisher